09/21/2011

What a difference a couple of weeks makes. The photo shown at the top of this blog post was taken on August 20, 2011. I was participating in a short run after the season kickoff for the Team in Training winter marathon team. The members of the team that live in south Palm Beach county do their weekly Saturday training runs out of Red Reef Park in Boca Raton. As you can see in the photo, I used to run with my arms swinging all over the place and crossing the front of my body.

All the magazine articles and books I've read on running never mentioned a lot about what to do with your arms. Roy Wallack's book, Run for Life, offers a brief insight on how a poor arm swing can lead to poor running mechanics which can lead to aches and pains and eventually injuries. Wallack says that runners should have pendulum arms: "to direct all your momentum forward, swing arms vertically along the side of the body with elbows bent at a 90-degree angle or less. Don't swing them at an angle across the chest, which directs your momentum cross-ways and places additional compensating forces on hips, shoulders, knees, ankles and back."

Above: e3 Grips by Biogrip, Inc.

A Tool For Proper Arm Swing

I've been trying really hard to pay attention to what my arms are doing during all my runs. I seem to have less right hip flexor and lower back pain now that I'm not swinging my arms wildly about. But because I had been running for the past 3 years with improper arm swing, I am currently seeing a chiropractor for weekly adjustments, to help get my back, spine and pelvis back into proper alignment.

Wallack discovered the e3 grips, made by Biogrip, Inc., to help him keep his arms in the correct position, while learning a more efficient arm swing. I don't think I would resort to buying a pair of the grips, I can't imagine running while holding something in both hands. You can get the same effect by pretending you are holding a joystick in your hand and are trying to push the side of your index finger with the tip of your thumb. The grips have a suggested retail price of $39.95; if you are interested in learning more about the e3 grips, visit their website: http://biogrip.com/.

Bike Diva Recommended Running Books

I have loads of books covering various swim, bike, run, strength training and nutrition topics. Here are a few of my favorite running books that can help you improve your running form. All three books are proponents of having a mid foot strike, as opposed to being a heel striker, while running. I changed my running form from being a heavy heel striker, to that of a mid foot striker, over one year ago. But that is a topic best reserved for another blog post.

Pose Method Running - Dr. Nicholas Romanov

Chi Running - Danny & Kathy Dreyer

Run for Life - Roy Wallack

Above: coming out of the water at the 2011 FAU sprint triathlon. My arms almost look okay here, elbows still splayed out a bit too wide and flapping like chicken wings, NOT an attractive look.

Disney Marathon

I am doing the Goofy Race & 1/2 Half Challenge in Orlando in January with Team in Training. Participating in both the Disney ½ marathon and Disney marathon is called the Goofy Race and ½ Challenge. I will be participating in this event with my local Team in Training chapter, while helping to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Disney will be my first running event with Team in Training. I have completed 5 century bike rides and 2 triathlons with TNT since 2006, while helping to raise over $30,000 for cancer research. My fund-raising page is located at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/pb/wdw12/lsmythe.

09/20/2011

Compression Tights & Compression Triathlon Shorts

CW-X Conditioning Wear

I recently had a chance to test out compression tights and triathlon shorts made by CW-X. I had been wanting to get a pair of compression tights to start using as a recovery tool after my long bike rides and runs. I figured the compression tights would also double as running tights in the winter and the tri shorts can be worn for regular biking and bike-to-run bricks. I probably would not wear them for any of my races, too many sponsorship obligations so I am usually racing in official team gear for Team Odwalla or one of my other sponsors.

CW-X has a size guide on their website. They say if your height and weight has you falling between sizes to choose the next size larger. I ordered the compression shorts and tights in women's size medium. In addition to the tights and shorts, CW-X makes a complete line of compression gear including:

arm sleeves

calf sleeves

socks

support bras

running and triathlon tops

Compression Gear Features

According to CW-X their compression gear has a variety of features:

Warm-up - establishes the optimum state to begin your workout safely and effectively.

Both the compression tight and compression shorts were a little bit tricky to get on. They kind of reminded me of putting panty hose on, work from the ankle up to the knee then finally pull them up to your waist. You work on getting on one leg at a time, and since they are so tight, it also kind of reminded me of putting on my wetsuit.

At first I thought I wasn't going to like the tri shorts, as they hit just above the knee. That is way longer than any of my other biking or running shorts. But once I started running, it was heaven! I normally have a lot of hip flexor pain, due to tight IT band, but the shorts felt like I was getting a message the entire time I was running. And they have a very light weight chamois pad to make the transition to biking comfortable.

Above: my husband and I at the completion of the 2011 St. Anthony's Triathlon. Yes, I found the beer tent right after crossing the finish line.

Disney Marathon

Living in south Florida I will mainly use the compression tights as recovery gear to wear at home after my long run and bike workouts. But it does cool down for a day or two during the winter in Florida, so I might actually get a chance to wear them while running. I am doing the Goofy Race & 1/2 Half Challenge in Orlando in January, it can get a bit cool in Disney World that time of year, so I will pack my compression tights with me just in case. And I will definitely want to wear them after doing the 1/2 half marathon the day before doing the full.

Participating in both the Disney ½ marathon and Disney marathon is called the Goofy Race and ½ Challenge. I will be participating in this event with my local Team in Training chapter, while helping to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Disney will be my first running event with Team in Training. I have completed 5 century bike rides and 2 triathlons with TNT since 2006, while helping to raise over $30,000 for cancer research. My fund-raising page is located at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/pb/wdw12/lsmythe.

Promotive Website

I purchased my CW-X compression tights and triathlon shorts on the Promotive website as part of a pro deal discount. I qualified for both the Industry Pro Deal and Outdoor Media & Industry Advocates teams on the Promotive website.

You've heard of brands that hook up "pros" with free gear to expose their products to flocks of potential buyers. You may not know those same companies offer discounts to other high-profile customers as well. You're receiving this invitation because I think you're discount-worthy, and I'm pretty sure a bunch of cool brands will feel the same way. There's only one way to find out if you qualify for up to 70 percent off retail - register with ProMotive.com for free!

Additional Information

CW-X clothing can be purchased from a variety of on-line retailers including Paragon Sports, Zappos, Back Country and Tri Sports. Shop around for the best prices; I found them going on the internet for between $50 and $100 for both the shorts and tights.

08/26/2011

Above: my husband and I at a local 5k race. I am wearing my Team Odwalla race kit.

I started racing a few time trial bike races back in 2008. In 2009 and 2010 I added running into my workout routine and started competing in 5k, half marathons and a lot of duathlons. 2011 became the year of the triathlon as I finally bit the bullet and got over my fear of the water.

Above: Bike Diva booth at the 2010 South Florida Bike Expo. The banner includes logos of all the companies that sponsored me for the 2010 race season.

Bike Diva's Sponsors

Since 2008 I have had a few companies that sponsor my race efforts by sending me free and deeply discounted athletic gear, clothing and nutritional products. On February 24 of last year, I wrote a comprehensive article on how to go about finding sponsorship opportunities: How-to Find Sponsorship Opportunities.

2012 Sponsorship Opportunities

It's that time of year again. I have just started filling out sponsorship applications for the 2012 race season. The majority of companies that offer sponsorship opportunities accept applications in the fall for sponsorship the following year. Here are a few sponsorship opportunities you may want to apply to for the 2012 race season.

If you can get onto one of the triathlon teams, you have it made. Instead of having to apply for individual sponsorship for bikes, wheels, clothing, sunglasses, helmets, nutritional items, shoes, etc... you have access to all the gear from the companies that sponsor the triathlon teams. I don't think I'll ever make it onto Team TriSports or the Timex Multisport Team, but it doesn't hurt to try.

2012 Team Trisports Application - looking for 30 top age group athletes to join their triathlon team.

Timex Multisport Team - a team of around 50 top age group athletes, both amateur and professional, ranging in age from 18 to 57.

Smith Optics -Interested in becoming sponsored by a company that makes sunglasses and goggles? Here is the link to the sponsorship information page for Smith Optics. They accept applications in the following disciplines; bike, wakeboard, skateboard, ski, surf, snowboard, kayak and motorsports.

Hammer Nutrition - Hammer Nutrition makes a complete line of nutritional products such as gels, recovery drinks, supplements, etc... They sponsor a wide variety of athletes.

08/25/2011

Disney Marathon with Team in Training

Above: Rob and Lynn Smythe at the 2007 El Tour de Tucson century bike ride.

My husband and I have been active in our local Team in Training chapter since 2006, while helping to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Here is a copy of our fundraising letter for the Winter 2011 season:

DISNEY MARATHON

After 6 years of participating in endurance events with the Palm Beach Team in Training chapter, I have finally decided to participate in my very first marathon. I will be doing the Goofy Challenge the weekend of January 7 and 8, 2012. The Goofy Challenge is for anyone crazy enough to want to run both the Disney 1/2 marathon and Disney marathon on the same weekend. I will be running 13.1 miles on Saturday, January 7, and 26.2 miles on Sunday, January 8. That's a total of 39.3 miles I will be running at Disney, while helping to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

TRIPLE CROWN RECIPIANT

The Disney Marathon will be my triple crown. A triple crown participant is anyone that has completed at least one century bike ride, one triathlon and one marathon through the Team in Training program. Since 2006, I have participated in 5 century bike rides and 2 triathlons through the Team in Training program. My husband Rob, who is a TNT cycle coach, and I have raised over $35,000 during this time.

LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY

Please consider making a donation to support our participation in Team in Training, and help advance the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission. You may make a donation by visiting our fundraising website which is located at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/pb/wdw12/lsmythe Or you may send me a check, made out to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, to my home address listed below.

CANCER EFFECTS EVERYONE

My husband Rob, who is a Team in Training cycle coach, has been going through his own battle to fight cancer for the past two years. In October of 2010, he went to his urologist for a routine check up, and was hoping to be diagnosed as one year cancer free. Unfortunately the cancer was back and he had to undergo a second surgery on December 15, 2010.

Rob began what we thought was going to be a year’s worth of immunotherapy and interferon treatments starting the end of January. Around the beginning of April he was given the all clear! His cancer is currently in remission and instead of having to continue with a year's worth of treatments, he is now looking at a few maintenance treatments for the remainder of the year. We both enjoy being part of the Team in Training program and staying active, even while we are going through our own personal crisis, is the key to keeping a positive outlook on life. GO TEAM!

08/24/2011

HITS Triathlon Series

Saugerties, NY – August 24, 2011 – Looking to create the highest quality events possible, HITS, Inc. today announced that the HITS Triathlon Series will provide a wide range of first-class amenities for racers and spectators. The HITS Triathlon Series is the first race series to feature five distances at each event with events taking place at unique destinations all year long.

“Triathletes train hard and many travel a significant distance to race. Hence, HITS is putting in as much effort to make the race experience special as the triathletes put into preparing for their event,” said Mark Wilson, race director for the HITS Triathlon Series. “From good food and well-marked courses to individual bike racks and streaming event coverage, we want everyone at a HITS Triathlon event to feel like a pro.”

Below is a sampling of special amenities competitors, friends and family can expect to experience at HITS Triathlon events:

On-site food service for athletes and spectators with a healthy assortment of offerings for purchase

Complimentary shuttle transportation for athletes, family and friends where needed

Live streaming coverage of all distances for online and race-day viewing on multiple flat screens throughout course/VIP/transition areas

Top-notch VIP tent for athletes, sponsors and family/friends

Leaders in all distances will have an escort vehicle (Bike-car/motorcycle; Run-bicycle)

Swim courses are marked with 2-meter floats and safety vessels every 20 meters

Family/friends welcome to cross finish line with athletes

Athlete welcome parties and award ceremonies with free food

Champions crowned first through third in one year age groups

Dave Scott video tips and online training program

Great swag/goodie bags

HITS Triathlon Series also has a partnership with Raceday Transport to provide bike and gear transport services to HITS Triathlon events. A full list of amenities can be found at http://hitstriathlonseries.com/register/athlete-amenities.

The first HITS Triathlon Series event kicks off in Palm Springs, December 3-4, 2011, providing the best opportunity for triathletes to race during the winter months.

About HITS, Inc.

HITS, Inc. is a special events management company primarily focused on producing endurance sports events and hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the village of Saugerties, HITS is dedicated to creating high-quality events in desirable destinations with unmatched, professional operations. For more information about the HITS Triathlon Series, please visit www.hitstriathlonseries.com.

05/12/2011

I need to put another triathlon on my 2011 race schedule like I need another hole in my head. But I was going through my goodie bag that I received at last weekends Race for the Arts 5k, and found a postcard for the Miami 25-75 triathlon. The race takes place at Miami Marine Stadium in Key Biscayne, Florida.

About the Event

Created and organized by the founders of the Miami International Triathlon, 25.75 Triathlon holds the same high standards of quality and organization for the ultimate triathlon racing experience. With the City of Miami Marine Stadium as the starting point, beautiful swim, bike & run courses, the race shows off some of the most amazing views this city can provide.

25.75 Triathlon Race Details

Swim .75k = .46 mile

Bike 20k = 12.4 miles

Run 5k = 3.1 miles

The swim course: A closed bay with nothing except ocean blue waters and the sound of your strokes.

The bike course: known very well by locals, the “Key Biscayne Loop” features a perfect 12.4 mile course when starting at the City of Miami Marine Stadium. Featuring beautiful views of the Downtown Miami Skyline, as well as Key Biscayne & Virginia Key beaches and parks, this course is smooth and flat in the majority of its extension – but don’t think for a second it will be an easy ride: the William Powell bridge will separate real athletes from the rest, as it adds almost one mile of “hill climbing” biking and stands a total of 76 feet tall at its highest point from the water level.

The run course: a 3.1 mile stretch course shaded by pine trees and natural vegetation where all you see are trees and the sky blue shoreline. No cars, no streets, no traffic lights. As one of Miami’s best kept secrets, this running course along the bay has been just repaved.

05/03/2011

2011 St. Anthony's Triathlon Report

28th Annual St. Anthony's Triathlon

My husband and I got back into town late Monday afternoon, so I'm just getting around to getting my race report written for the 2011 St. Anthony's triathlon. St. A's was an Olympic distance race which took place in St. Petersburg, Florida on Sunday, May 1. We did the race with the Palm Beach Florida chapter of Team in Training (TNT). TNT is the largest fund raising program for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Participants in the Team in Training program, from chapters located throughout the country, helped raise 1.5 million dollars this year while training for the 2011 St. Anthony's triathlon - GO TEAM!

Above: Bike Diva at the St. Anthony's Hospital booth at the triathlon expo. Yes, St. A's is THE St. A's of the St. Anthony's Triathlon. Got my blood pressure and pulse checked out while I was visiting their booth, along with a travel size packet of band aids, a pen, sunscreen and some mints.

Extended Vacation

My husband and I decided to go over to St. Petersburg a day early and called our hotel to see if we could extend our stay from Thursday evening to Monday morning. They had a room available for Thursday night, so we left our house around 2:30 Thursday afternoon. St. Petersburg is located on the west coast of Florida, just south of Tampa, and is about a 4 hour drive from our home on the east coast of Florida in Delray Beach.

Above: Bike Diva succumbs to the dreaded tourist disease!!!!

Nice Hotel Stay

We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard hotel which is a short 1/2 mile from St. Petersburg Pier and the St. Anthony's triathlon expo. We walked to and from our hotel some days and took the free hotel shuttle at other times. There are also two downtown St. Petersburg trolleys which pick you up and drop you off at a variety of locations for only 25 cents per ride, what a bargain. The Courtyard had a buffet breakfast available, which we enjoyed on two days, and after our Saturday morning swim practice, we enjoyed brunch at one of the downtown restaurants as we were walking from Spa Beach back to our hotel.

Above: Spa Beach looking out at St. Petersburg Pier. This was the location of the original swim start of St. Anthony's triathlon. Swim start moved north on race day morning due to choppy wave conditions.

Swim Bike Diva Swim

We are both fairly new to the sport of triathlon. Since the beginning of the year, my husband has competed in 3 sprint distance triathlons and I've competed in 5 sprint distance triathlons. St. Anthony's was our first Olympic distance triathlon. Since the swim was scheduled to be almost 1 mile long and takes place in the ocean, we decided we wanted to get in a few practice swims at the St. Anthony's swim start prior to actually doing the race.

We got in a practice swim on Friday afternoon, Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon. The two afternoon swims were nice and calm. The Saturday morning swim was cut short, it was really windy out causing very choppy swim conditions. Unfortunately it was really windy and choppy on race day morning causing the swim course to be altered. But the 3 practice swims really improved my open water swim confidence, so I'm glad we kept making ourselves go into the water.

St. Anthony's has a really great expo which is set up at the race site each year. A variety of vendors selling all kinds of triathlon merchandise had booths setup at the expo. I had my picture taken with pro triathletes Andy Potts and Michellie Jones. They are sponsored by ISM saddles and were hanging out at the ISM booth on Saturday morning. Pretty cool, I'm 5' 5" but felt like a midget standing next to the pros. They also look like they don't eat bacon or cookies. :)

The water conditions at St. Anthony's have been dicey for the past two years. In 2009 the swim portion of the race was cancelled for everyone except the professionals. So all the age groupers ended up doing sort of a bike-run duathlon that year. In 2010 the swim started out being the full distance but as the water conditions started getting worse, the swim was cut in half for the last few swim waves. This year was no different, very strong winds in the early morning caused Tampa Bay to resemble a washing machine.

Above: Choppy swim conditions day before race start. Hard to tell from the photo but waves hitting chest height while standing in knee deep water.

Have a Safe Swim

With almost 3,600 people signed up to race, race officials wanted to make sure everyone stayed safe while in the water. But instead of having to cancel the swim, the swim start location, direction of swim and swim distance was changed. Instead of starting at Spa Beach, we started at the beach just north of the transition area at the North Shore Aquatic Complex by Vinoy Park. And instead of swimming east-north-east, we swam east-south-east. And the swim was shortened from 1640 yards to 1000 yards. So although we didn't get to do a true Olympic distance swim, 1000 yards was still twice as far as my husband and I have ever swam in a race. So we were pretty happy that we survived the swim, especially since it was a bit choppy and the surf temperature was so warm that we weren't allowed to wear wetsuits.

Above: Bike Diva dropping off her bike in transition on Saturday afternoon. We had assigned bike racks, so it didn't mater when you showed up to do bike drop. My husband lucked out and got the end cap on his transition rack.

Bike Diva's Race Results

I've only been swimming since January 3, and I am trying REALLY hard to get over my water phobia. So even though I had a pretty slow swim, I was real happy I was actually able to do such a long swim in competition. Two of the waves that started after my swim wave caught up to me. I get a bit panicked when swimmers pass me from behind, but I found that if I switched to breast stroke, my strong leg kick kept them from getting too close and feeling like I was being drowned.

Above: Bike Diva at the Profile Design booth. Profile Design is one of my sponsors. Unfortunately, due to extremely high surf temperatures the 2011 St. Anthony's triathlon was not wetsuit legal so I was not able to use my Profile Design sleeveless Wahoo wetsuit during the swim. But I did have my Profile Design aero water bottle and bento box on my bike during the race.

Race Details

T1 included a 1/3 mile run from the swim exit back to the transition area. The Bike portion of the race took place in downtown St. Petersburg. The streets were not closed during the race which always makes for interesting conditions. City streets were nice and smooth in some places and under construction in others. It was really windy during the bike leg, but because there were so many turns on the course, we kept changing direction so the wind only affected us in a couple of sections. The bike leg started and ended on cobblestones, a bit lumpy and bumpy, so I slowed down while riding over that section. After the race I heard about a couple of triathletes having a really bad wipe out while riding too fast over the cobblestones, can you say road rash?

Above: Mr. Bike Diva dropping his bike off the day before the race. His preassigned spot was on the end of the bike rack - LUCKY!

The Run

My run was horrid. My swim wave didn't start until around 8:15 so by the time I started the run, it was pretty bloody hot out. Racing in south Florida, UGH! Thankfully there were a TON of spectators out along the course. There were quite a few home owners that set up their garden hose at the end of their driveway. I ran by everyone of the hoses and shouted out "hit me baby!" and got a much needed blast of cool water. I also drank way more water and electrolyte solution than I normally do. That caused my stomach to start feeling BLECH, another thing which caused me to slow down. I was hoping to run the 10k at 10:00 pace, but I was just dang worn out by the time I started the run and ended up doing the zombie death march.

Above: We played tourist on Friday and visited the Salvador Dali museum which is just a mile or two from the St. Anthony's triathlon start.

So, I wasn't dead last in my age group, but pretty close. I had an okay bike time and I always have pretty good transition times. So now if I can just work on panicking less in the water, my swim time should start to improve. I've been running for about 3 years now, not sure what to do to improve my run times. Move to Alaska where it's a bit cooler!?!

There were 137 girls registered in my age group, but only 100 finished the race. Same thing with my husband, there were 123 men registered in his age group but only 94 finished. So in my fantasy world I really finished 87 out of 137. Don't know what happened to the other 37 girls? Did they have a hissy fit when they saw the swim was not wetsuit legal and decide not to show up? Did they freak out when they saw the rad swim conditions and decided not to start? Did they get too many penalties during the race and DQ the race? So I'm patting myself on the back, I actually showed up and completed the race - YEAH ME!!!!

Swim = 30:42

T1 = 6:01

Bike = 1:21:58 = 18.2 MPH

T2 = 2:57

Run = 1:14:58 = 12:05 pace

Total time = 3:16:36

Division place = 87 out of 100 women 45-49

Gender place = 752 out of 987 women

Above: St. Anthony's triathlon finishers medal and Team in Training triathlon pin. All hail the mighty BLING!

My Next Team in Training Event

I just registered for Nation's Triathlon with the Palm Beach Florida chapter of Team in Training. Nation's is an Olympic distance triathlon which takes place on September 11, yes 9/11, in Washington DC. I was already planning on doing Nation's before we did St. Anthony's, but now that the swim at St. A's was shortened, I really want to complete an Olympic distance event with the full 1.5 kilometer swim. My husband is coaching the TNT team that will be doing the 109 mile El Tour de Tucson century bike ride in November so he won't be able to train with the triathlon team. But he wants to participate in Nation's so he will be paying his own way and doing Nation's with me, but won't be an official member of the TNT team.

Above: Sandra Holahan, Lynn the Bike Diva Smythe and Ken Mikulski Jr. of the Palm Beach chapter Team in Training, waiting for their swim wave to start.

Additional Information

Website: www.satriathlon.com

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/St-Anthonys-Triathlon

Official 2011 results: www.onlineraceresults.com

Official 2011 photos: www.finisherpix.com

Salvador Dali museum: www.thedali.org

St. Petersburg Pier: stpetepier.com

Above: Choppy water conditions at Spa Beach in St. Petersburg.

Additional Triathlon Related Posts

Here are a few other of my triathlon posts that you can read on the Bike Diva blog:

04/25/2011

2011 Egg Hunt Triathlon

Above: Finisher's medal for the Egg Hunt triathlon.

Egg Hunt Race

On Saturday, April 23 I competed in my 5th triathlon of the year. The Egg Hunt triathlon took place at CB Smith Park in Pembroke Pines, Florida and was race number 2 of 5 of the Broward Championship Race Series put on by Multirace.com. The race could be done as either a sprint distance duathlon or sprint distance triathlon. I participated in the duathlon the past two years, but this was the first time I competed in the triathlon.

The swim is my weakest of the three sports of triathlon. Until January 3 of this year, I never really went in the water. I've lived in SE Florida for around 20 years but an extreme water phobia has kept me on land. But I have a goal of doing an Ironman distance triathlon before I turn 50, so I am trying to get over my swim phobia and learn how to swim.

Above: Is it the creature from the black lagoon? No, it's Bike Diva struggling to get out of the water at the Egg Hunt triathlon.

Sprint Duathlon

1.5 mile run

11 mile bike

1.5 mile run

Sprint Triathlon

.25 mile swim

11 mile bike

3 mile run

Above: Bike Diva smiling because she survived the swim, and now gets to play with her bike.

Bike Diva's Race Results

I certainly didn't set any speed records at this race. I still have a lot of anxiety in the water, which causes me to stop swimming and just tread water until I can calm myself down and stop hyperventilating.I was doing okay until I reached the second buoy. That's about when the Clydesdale men, who started in the wave after me, caught up to me and passed me like a stampede of water buffalo.

I got boxed in at the buoy and got bashed around a bit. I ended up with a nice bruise on my upper left arm, just something to get used to if I'm going to be a triathlete, but for someone with an irrational fear of the water, I just couldn't handle it. I almost stuck my hand up to get the attention of one of the rescue kayakers. But then I heard someone to my right shouting out for help, turns out he started in the swim wave before me. Two of the resuce workers went right over to help him out. I decided I was doing okay, and only had about 50 yards to get to shore so I stuck my head back in the water and did my version of swimming to get to the swim exit.

I placed 6th in my age group, Multirace.com events award age groups 5 deep. If I had been 2 minutes and 9 seconds faster, I would have placed 5th and won an award. Bummer, gives me a goal to work on, have to get over my fear of the water, most girls in my age group completed the swim in 10-12 minutes.

Swim: 17:15

T1: 1:01

Bike: 37:14

T2: 1:06

Run: 30:35

Overall time: 1:27:11

Age group: 6 out 14 women 45-49

Gender: 70 out of 111

Overall: 236 out of 307

Above: A Muscovy duck - QUACK!

Duck Poop Soup

The swim portion of the Egg Hunt triathlon took place in the tiny man-made lake at CB Smith Park. It's a small, rectangular shape lake. We swam across the lake, almost to the opposite shore, before turning at the first buoy, then swam across the lake to the second swim buoy before heading back towards shore.

There were a lot of Muscovy ducks hanging out at the lake. Those are the strange looking ducks with the weird red coloring/flesh around their beaks. Everyone was thinking, oh great, we get to swim in a lake full of duck poop - NICE! Just another one of those fun facts that are never mentioned in the triathlon magazines.

Egg Hunt Bike And Run

The bike portion of the Egg Hunt race was a 11 mile course for both duathletes and triathletes. Leaving transition, you did a counter clockwise loop inside the park, then you got to play in traffic as you completed a clockwise loop outside the park. You repeated the inner and outer loop two times before riding back to the transition area. I'm not sure if my asthma was acting up, but I never found my lungs during the bike portion of the race and had a pretty sucky bike split. I only averaged around 18 MPH, which is pretty slow for someone that calls herself the Bike Diva.

The run was completely inside the park, on a mostly paved walking path which circled around the lake. Duathletes completed one run loop for a total of 1.5 miles, while triathletes completed two runs loops for a total of 3 miles before heading to the finish line. My run ended up being okay, guess since I didn't hammer it on the bike I still had some gas left to finish the run. I am still a really slow runner, but at least I didn't have to walk during the race, so for me, that's having a good run.

Above: Bike Diva running to the finish line.

Links to Bike Diva's Triathlon Race Reports

My next race is coming up this weekend. My husband and I will be participating in St. Anthony's Olympic distance triathlon on Sunday, May 1. We will be leaving either Thursday night or Friday afternoon to drive over to St. Petersburg, which is about a 4 hour drive from our house.

Right now the surf temperature is really warm, so the event organizers think it WILL NOT be a wetsuit legal swim. An Olympic distance triathlon swim is 1.5 kilometers, which is almost 1 mile! I'm not sure if my husband and I are up for a swim that long, in Tampa Bay, without a wetsuit. Event organizers are giving newbie triathletes a chance to swim with their wetsuit even if it's not wetsuit legal. Anyone wanting to wear a wetsuit, can start the swim after the last official wave goes off at 9:10. We won't qualify for awards if we choose to wear out wetsuits, but we will be allowed to complete the event. We are doing a practice swim on Saturday morning, so I guess we will know by then if it will be wetsuit legal or not.

04/19/2011

2011 Loggerhead Triathlon

Loggerhead Sprint Triathlon

I just registered my husband and I for the 2011 Loggerhead Triathlon. The race takes place on Saturday, August 6 at Carlin Park in Jupiter, Florida. Loggerhead is a sprint distance triathlon with the following distances:

600 yard swim

13 mile bike

3.1 mile run

Most sprint triathlons I've done have a 400 meter swim, 10 mile bike and 3.1 mile run. The longer swim will be okay, being fairly new to the sport of triathlon, the swim is my weakest of the three sports. But I really like the slightly longer bike portion, after all, I am the Bike Diva!

The Loggerhead Triathlon caps out at 600 registrants. As of this morning there were already 500 people signed up. So hurry, hurry, hurry, and register for the race if you are interested in doing it: http://membership.npbchamber.com/Events/details/loggerhead-triathlon-08-07-2011.

Loggerhead Triathlon

Date: August 6, 2011 Time: 7:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Event Description

The Loggerhead Triathlon is one of the longest enduring triathlons in the state of Florida. Dating back to 1985, triathletes have made the trip to Jupiter year after year to enjoy the magnificent Oceanside setting, the family-friendly atmosphere, and the competition. Jointly sponsored by the Triathlon Club of the Palm Beaches and the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce, the event has become a “must do” on the southeast race circuit and has spawned some of the top triathletes in the United States.

The Loggerhead Triathlon will be held on Saturday, August 6th beginning at 7:00am at Carlin Park in Jupiter, FL. The race course consists of a 3/8 mile ocean swim, 13 mile bike and flat 3.1 mile run. Awards will be given to the top 3 overall in each division. Following the race, photos can be viewed at: www.bbactionphoto.com

Divisions include:

Age Groups

14 & Under

15-19

20-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-44

45-49

50-54

55-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-79

80 & above

Clydesdale

15-39 & 189-199 weight

40 & above & 189-199 weight

15-39 & 200+ weight

40 & above & 200+weight

Relays

Male

Female

Coed

Mountain Bike

Athena (145 & above)

First Timers

This is a USAT Sanctioned Event. All athletes must provide their current USAT identification card at check-in. All non-USAT Members must pay the additional $10 (cash only) Race Day Registration fee and fill out the Registration Form at Packet Pick Up.

The Packet Pick Up for all race registrants will be on Friday, August 5, 2011 from 3:00pm – 8:00pm at the Jupiter Beach Resort and Spa(located at 5 NA1A, Jupiter, FL 33477). All athletes must show a photo ID in order to receive their packet. Relay teams must have all members present to receive their packet.

The Sports and Fitness Expo will feature over 20 local businesses that offer products specific to triathletes. Be sure to stick around during packet pick up to check out all the exhibitors have to offer!

The First Timers Seminar is recommended for all Loggerhead Triathlon First Timers. It will be help during packet pick up on Friday, August 5th from 5:00pm – 6:00pm at the Jupiter Beach Resort.

The Host Hotel is the Jupiter Beach Resort and Spa. The hotel is offering a group rate for all athletes. For reservations, call 800.228.8810 and mention the code LOGG to receive the discounted rate.

Race Rules

Pre-Race

Body Marking: Have your arms and legs marked with your race number by a volunteer. This will start in Carlin Park at 5:45am.

Timing chip: Pick up your timing chip race morning.

Only race participants allowed in transition area.

FIRST TIMERS: Wear the wristband provided in your race packet in order to receive a medal at the finish line.

Swim

The race begins at 7:00am on the beach. Line up in the appropriate wave. The race will start in 5 waves with 5 minutes between each wave. Wet Suits will not be allowed.

Helmets must be fastened before leaving the transition area. An ANSI approved bike helmet is mandatory.

Bikes must be walked in and out of the transition area.

No drafting. Keep 3 bike lengths away from other riders. Draft marshals will be on the course.

THERE ARE 2 LAPS ON THE BIKE COURSE: Exit park and head south (left) on A1A to Loggerhead Park. Turn around and repeat. Return to transition area from the south entrance to Carlin Park.

Run

Exit park and head north (right) to Jupiter Beach Blvd. Head east (right) and follow signs and volunteers to turnaround. Return to Carlin Park and the finish line from the north entrance. I-PODS and MP3 Players are not permitted.

Relays

All relay team members must be body marked.

Swimmer wears the swim cap. Runner wears the run race number. Biker has race number on his/her bike. Teammates remain at the bike rack marked “relays” waiting for a team member to pass the timing chip before starting the next leg.

Registration

Registration will be available beginning Monday, March 28, 2011 at 9:00am. Registrations will be taken in the order in which they are received and the race is capped at 600 registrants – so be sure to REGISTER EARLY! Online registration is available at www.altavistasports.com only.

Registration Fees are based on the time the registration is received and there is NO RACE DAY REGISTRATION, NO CANCELLATIONS, REFUNDS OR CHANGES ONCE REGISTRATION IS RECEIVED:

Early Registration by May 15th INDIVIDUALS - $75 RELAYS - $100

Late Registration after May 15th INDIVIDUALS - $100 RELAYS - $125

For questions regarding the race or registration, please contact the Northern PBC Chamber of Commerce at 561.746.7111.

04/08/2011

It is the joy of every parent to watch their child take their first steps in trying to learn how to ride a bike and although they like to see this, they cannot tell their child about the dangers which are involved in riding a bike, at a very young age. This is because owning a bike is one thing and riding it is a total different thing entirely and it is certainly not easy to tell a child that he/she can own a bike but he/she must wait to be a little older to ride it.

However, the parent is, at most times, more concerned about the risk involved when a child is learning how to ride a bike but from the perspective of the child, learning to ride a bike is not as hard as their parents seem to make it. As a result, children may just get the idea that parents just don’t want them to have a bike at all. This is further from the truth in most families. To many, the pressure of keeping a bike from a child is a very big challenge to overcome because it is hard to resist the pressure from your heart and soul, your offspring. However, what can the parent do to keep the child safe?

Balance Bike Teaches Cycling Skills

It is a common fact that learning to ride a bicycle might involve instances of hurt and bruises for a young child. Some parents are not prepared for this instance. But there is actually a solution that actually puts the child well being at heart and fully understands the worries that the parents have. Most parents search for solutions to this vexing problem but fall short of the answer and go to traditional means like bikes with training wheels or no bikes at all are given.

They want to give in to the demands of the child but they are unable to because of the psychological blockage in their minds that bikes are dangerous. However, there is an answer balance bikes. One of the well known balance bikes is the skuut metal balance bike. This one bike has changed the mindset of many parents mainly because of the safety features that keep kids safe.

Skuut Metal Balance Bike

So what actually makes the skuut metal balance bike special and able to get rid of the worries of a caring parent? Well, let us start with its design. It is made with metal steel which makes the bike very durable and it is very easy to assemble. All this might not be enough to stop the parent from worrying but there is more.

The bike does not actually have pedals or a training wheels so all the child needs do is to push his/her feet on the ground and propelling themselves forward while constantly allowing the child to have foot contact with the ground in case the child losses balance. This already makes the bike quite safe but it also has a hand break, a bell and an adjustable control handle bar all of which goes on to ensure that you can entrust the safety of your child to this bike. To provide comfort, the bike has an adjustable seat and this makes it good for a child that is growing.

Learning some of the various features that are involved with riding a bike is certainly not easy for a child. However, with this skuut metal balance bike, the child can learn basic things like steering control, co-ordination and balance making it a safe bike for your child.